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Team News Arsenal will assess striker Olivier Giroud's knee injury ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester City at Emirates Stadium.

Forward Gervinho is away at the African Nations Cup with Ivory Coast.

Midfielder Abou Diaby returned from three months out with a thigh problem to play for the club's under-21 side this week and could be involved against City.

Defender Andre Santos also had a run-out, but is not expected to feature for the first team yet.

Meanwhile, Manchester City travel to Arsenal without Sergio Agüero, Yaya Touré and former Gunner Samir Nasri.

Striker Agüero remains on the sidelines while midfielder Touré is at the Africa Cup of Nations Cup - along with brother Kolo, the defender, and back-up striker Abdul Razak - and forward Nasri completes a three-game suspension.

Left-back Aleksandar Kolarov is back in contention but right-back Maicon is still out while Micah Richards and Jack Rodwell are long-term casualties.

Match Notes City's 27-game winless streak at Arsenal in the league is one of the game's most surprising anomalies.

They have often struggled to create chances at the Emirates, and the absences of Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure will again hamper them.

So all eyes on Roberto Mancini's selection. Will it be aggressive, as it often has in big games, or will it be a case of soaking up pressure and hitting on the counter?

With Arsenal's approach more predictable, it is City's outlook that will determine the character of this game.

Betting: Home 6-4, Away 8-5, Draw 23-10.

Stat of the game: There have been four red cards in the last five Premier League meetings between Arsenal and Man City.